Clickspring Chris has completed his clock
December 5, 2016 5:19 AM   Subscribe

Clickspring Chris, mentioned several times previously on Metafilter (1 2 3), has posted his last clock build video. The final results are stunning.

Chris is a highly skilled machinist and videographer, and the whole series is beautifully shot, informative, and addictive to watch. I thought this post was maybe a little double-ish, although Chris has not has a FPP as far as I can find. Also maybe it's a followup and should be on Metatalk? But anyway, I thought it might be new to lots of folks, so if you haven't had the chance, I'd suggest checking out the whole build playlist.
posted by carter (35 comments total) 45 users marked this as a favorite
 
That is incredibly soothing to watch.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:37 AM on December 5, 2016 [3 favorites]


Well, there goes any productivity for my week.
posted by disconnect at 5:46 AM on December 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


That is an impressive effort.
posted by mecran01 at 5:53 AM on December 5, 2016


He's done? Man, it's been a long haul just casually watching his videos whenever I remembered to look for new releases.
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:10 AM on December 5, 2016


23 videos? I muttered to myself. I started watching ... and then the drill started kicking out little burrs of brass and it gave me feelings so this is my life now.


mmmmm.... makin' stuff...
posted by louche mustachio at 6:16 AM on December 5, 2016 [5 favorites]


My anxious self watched this wondering how he will display/store the finished creation to prevent dust or tarnish, as its perfection would be ruined by either one. That level of polish makes the whole thing like a big piece of jewelry.

My much-less-pristine 1912 Seth Thomas ticks and chimes comfortingly from the mantel and I enjoy winding all three of its springs. There is tactile and aural pleasure in mechanical clocks that electrically powered ones simply cannot afford. I got goosebumps from the lovely ratcheting sound and could imagine the feel of even resistance on that key as he wound the finished clock.

On the whole this was immensely satisfying. Thanks for the post.
posted by kinnakeet at 6:41 AM on December 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


Although I'm pretty sure I'd go completely mad with a clock that pinged like that one does, there's no denying that it's awfully pretty, and his presentation goes a long way to demystifying how gears are cut, or how you make a blind broach like the key in the last segment.
posted by Kyol at 6:43 AM on December 5, 2016


I could watch things being turned on a lathe all day.
posted by jferg at 6:47 AM on December 5, 2016 [4 favorites]


Wow. This is fascinating and close to perfection in media. The video as exacting and filleted and polished as the project and must have about doubled the overall effort.
posted by bz at 7:04 AM on December 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


This is great. I've been trying to learn a variety of machine-shop adjacent skills lately, and it's been challenging finding free video resources that feature the right mix of:
  • interesting projects,
  • insights into the design process,
  • combination of hand and machine assisted work (so I can get a better feel for why to choose what when),
  • quality finished product,
  • well thought through (usually scripted after the fact) narration of what is being done and why, and
  • good editing.
This series fits the bill, in a way that Jimmy Diresta, AvE, Nancy Hamilton, BrunS and Soham Harrison just don't quite manage. George Goehl gets close, but his projects (and videos) lack the level of polish that I want.

Anyways, I'm going to add "learn how to make a clock" to my regular "sit in front of YouTube and learn something" syllabus. Thanks for posting!
posted by sparklemotion at 7:27 AM on December 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


Wow. This is some of the best cinematography I've ever seen on an amateur web video. Beautiful stuff.
posted by Phreesh at 7:32 AM on December 5, 2016


What he is doing is very different but this is as soothing to watch as that primitive technology guy.
posted by Bee'sWing at 7:40 AM on December 5, 2016


This is so beautiful.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 7:43 AM on December 5, 2016


What a wonderful series.

Some people watch Bob Ross videos to relax. I prefer Norm Abram. But now I have a choice with Clickspring Chris. Between Norm and Chris my chill-outs should be epic.
posted by james33 at 7:50 AM on December 5, 2016


That was very impressive.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 7:55 AM on December 5, 2016


I think one of the most amazing things about this is the number of custom tools that he also built in order to complete this project. It just takes it to another level of craftsmanship for me when its not just making something but also making the tools that are used to make the thing.
posted by cubby at 7:58 AM on December 5, 2016 [2 favorites]


I could listen to this guy talk basically forever.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:01 AM on December 5, 2016


sparklemotion, check out this playlist. Similar quality, but on a bigger scale.
posted by tayknight at 8:07 AM on December 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


I think one of the most amazing things about this is the number of custom tools that he also built in order to complete this project.

Custom fabrication like this is almost universally a tool-making exercise. The best machinists/woodworkers/bicycle builders/whatever don't make product, they make jigs and forms.
posted by backseatpilot at 8:15 AM on December 5, 2016 [3 favorites]


I've been watching this from the first video, and I love it. If I had the machining tools for this, I would get the plans and make it myself. It's simply *incredible*.
posted by mystyk at 8:37 AM on December 5, 2016


Great video, but he doesn't let us know how accurate the clock is. It may be beautiful, but does it keep good time?
posted by YAMWAK at 9:15 AM on December 5, 2016


sparklemotion, check out this playlist. Similar quality, but on a bigger scale.

Yes. This is also quite nice. Thank you!
posted by sparklemotion at 9:27 AM on December 5, 2016


Sort of amazed he doesn't do more CNC given the requirements of the escape mechanisms. That recoil escape pallet would be super simple to program and machine on a hobbyist CNC mill.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 9:53 AM on December 5, 2016


Should be accurate to ~10s a day if it’s any good.
posted by pharm at 9:53 AM on December 5, 2016


Meticulous. Patient. Precise. Incredibly skilled.

Words I don't get to use very often.
posted by peter.j.torelli at 10:22 AM on December 5, 2016


Thanks for posting this Carter! Hearing the clock beat for the first time a couple months ago after Chris finished the escapement was almost as exciting as hearing a baby's heartbeat. I wanted to post an update myself, but worried it might be viewed as a double or spam.

As a side note, during my second viewing of the main Clockmaking videos I have become doubly curious on how he became so damned good at such a variety of technical skills. Beyond the videography of framing shots and ensuring proper lighting... his sound capture, his sound mixing, his editing/transitions are all top notch. He is probably the first person I actually want to do an AMA.
posted by midmarch snowman at 10:37 AM on December 5, 2016 [3 favorites]


I agree midmarch snowman. I sometimes watch the fade transitions at .25 speed on youtube, he does some really impressive stuff.
posted by carter at 10:55 AM on December 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


This Old Tony is another solid machining channel, with some excellent videography, and a deadpan humour that beats everyone else (one of the few channels that regularly makes me laugh out loud).

(usually just informative, but sometimes he produces pure art, like in The Makening)
posted by effbot at 4:00 PM on December 5, 2016 [3 favorites]


Omg this is amazing! Just wasted several hours watching his videos!
posted by ellieBOA at 12:29 PM on December 7, 2016 [1 favorite]


I have watched every single minute of this channel and it is worth every single minute of my time to do it. Can't wait to see what he makes next!
posted by stilldavid at 7:50 PM on December 7, 2016


It only took four days, but I finally finished watching all 23 videos. This is one of the greatest series of YouTube videos I have ever watched. Thanks for posting this!
posted by noneuclidean at 7:17 PM on December 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


Clickspring: Chill Out Edit - 1000 Hours in 12 Minutes
posted by effbot at 2:26 PM on December 14, 2016 [2 favorites]


Well, apparently the the next project will be a reproduction of the Antikythera mechanism! I'm super psyched about this, not least because I look forward to his narration and demonstration of how it all works and fits together. And it means we'll get videos for the foreseeable future. This should be really cool.
posted by carter at 5:04 PM on December 17, 2016 [2 favorites]


For anyone as confused as me!

The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient analogue computer and orrery* used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendrical and astrological purposes, as well as the Olympiads, the cycles of the ancient Olympic Games.

* An orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system that illustrates or predicts the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons.
posted by ellieBOA at 10:59 AM on December 18, 2016 [1 favorite]


Featured pretty heavily on the Blue previously.
posted by Harald74 at 12:23 PM on December 22, 2016 [1 favorite]


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